Be Jeweled

Crazy 'dos, funky clothes, and wild patterns may be a few things we associate with generations past.  Today we laugh and grow red in embarrassment as we reminisce and look back upon the photographic evidence of our succumb to the fads of days gone by.  Many of the artifacts existing from those eras are valued as antiques at most - cherished and treasured in many homes as family heirlooms - and nothing in the mix is considered modern or stylish for today.   What if there was a way to to use collected material from the past to make a beautiful, unique, and creative piece of art which could be used in your home regardless of style and decor? 

This simple, elegant, and beautiful type of embellishment is very easy to do and lasts for a lifetime!

Supplies Needed:

- any non-decorative straight-edged frame (any size you desire, be certain you have enough material to completely cover the frame when choosing frame size) (can be wood, metal or plastic, and any color however, silver, gold, and black work well as a nice neutral)

- antique jewelry (anything and everything applies!  earrings, necklace pendants, and lone jewels such as rhinestones, pearls, and beads, etc. all work wonderfully)

- shells (optional) - (intersperse your frame with a mixture of antique jewelry and shells from your last beach vacation.  this is a wonderful way to add a rustic texture and differing patterns to your creation)

- wire-cutters

- hot glue gun and glue refills

- rubbing alcohol and cotton balls

How To:

1.  Find an area in your house or craft room to construct your creation.  Finding a flat surface such as a table, and laying a protective piece of cardboard or an old towel over the area where you will be working is useful in keeping the surface of your table clean and free of hot glue.

2. Decide on a color/theme for your frame.  Answer questions such as, what color of jewelry do I have the most of?  Where will I place my frame?  What will be in my frame?  (For example, we have made a white/cream/tan toned frame, a jewel toned from (using rich reds, greens, and blues), a pastel colored frame, and a beach toned frame (using blues, tans, whites, and shells) all from the jewelry and shells we have collected over the years.)

3.  Sort out your jewelry according to color, type of metal, shape, etc.  Make sure to keep pairs together (such as earrings) - its helps when deciding what piece of jewelry to put where to keep the look of your frame balanced.

4.  Once you have decided on a style for your frame, and have all of the apparatus needed gathered, clean the face and edges of your frame with the rubbing alcohol and cottons balls.  This takes off any film or grit residing on your frame that might prohibit the gluing process.

5.  Determine the orientation for your frame.  Portrait or landscape - either way, it will be beautiful!

6.  Decide on a header/centerpiece for your frame.  Using one of the most bulky pieces of jewelry you have that coordinates with the other colors to be included on the frame works wonderfully as a header.  If you are using shells on your frame, these can also make stunning centerpieces. 

7.  Establish your corners.  Try to find prominent (but not too big) pieces that are similar or identical to use on the four corners.  

8.  Fill in the gaps.  Once you have your centerpiece glued down with hot glue and your corners established, fill in the sides of your frame with pieces of antique jewelry (and shells).  Vary the pieces in size, hue, tone, and texture to add visual interest.

9. Once you have finished all of your gluing, make sure your frame has no hot glue strings.  Print a picture, lovely quote, or simply put a piece of decorative paper inside your frame to call it finished!


Helpful tips and tricks:
- use the wire-cutters when necessary to take of the backs of earrings, pins, etc.  You can also use the wire-cutters to bend the metal or fasteners of pieces of jewelry to make the piece fit better.
- layer and overlap pieces of jewelry for visual interest and dimension
- do not leave one single part of your frame visible.  Completely encrust your frame filling odd and small spaces with store-bought pearls or lone gems.
- use frames that are flat, that do not have curves or decorative wood-work (this will make your gluing and design process a lot simpler!)
- if you do not have any antique jewelry lying around your house, you can often get good deals on bulk selections of antique jewelry at estate sales, garage sells, and even on eBay!


"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel."